


Fire and Ruffscue

by secretsidgenowriter



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Dog adoption, Dogs, Firefighter Geno, Firefighters, Fluff, M/M, Photo Shoots, Pining, non-hockey au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 16:54:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13861929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretsidgenowriter/pseuds/secretsidgenowriter
Summary: The proceeds get split between the station and the shelter and more importantly, all of the dogs that have been featured in the calendar have quickly been adopted after it’s release.People just love being able to say that their dog was held by Mr. March or Mr. October.





	Fire and Ruffscue

Sid pulls the van into the parking lot at quarter to eleven with Jake following in the van behind him.

He’s eager to get the dogs out of their crates so they can stretch their legs and calm down before the photographer shows up. He grabs the bag of treats, the bag of squeaky toys, and the bag of tennis balls off the passenger seat and climbs out.

For the third year in a row the shelter is teaming up with Engine Company 10 to take photos for the _Fire & Ruffscue_ charity calendar.

The proceeds get split between the station and the shelter and more importantly, all of the dogs that have been featured in the calendar have quickly been adopted after it’s release.

People just love being able to say that their dog was held by Mr. March or Mr. October.

 

He stops to wave at a couple of guys who are standing against the building enjoying the sunshine and drinking their coffee. They wave back as Sid pops open one of the back doors. The dogs greet him with happy barks and wagging tails.

“Hi everyone,” he says softly. “Gonna get you out of there as quick as I can, okay?”

He goes to open the second door but someone else pulls it open for him.

Sid looks up and there’s Geno standing there with a wide smile on his face and his Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire issued t-shirt tight across his chest.

“Sid,” he says as a hello, “bring lots of cute dogs this year?”

“I always bring cute dogs,” he says. “All dogs are cute.”

“I’m know. But yours always the cutest.”

Sid blushes and looks down at Kona, the husky lab mix that’s practically turning herself inside out in the the crate in excitement.

Geno knocks their shoulders together and pokes his fingers through the crate so Nike, a quiet springer spaniel, can lick them.

“Help you and Jake take them out, okay? Very excited.”

Sid nods, not sure if he’s talking about himself or the dogs.

Sid met Geno for the first time four years ago when Jake, still just a volunteer at the shelter, accidentally microwaved popcorn for 30 minutes instead of 3 and started a small fire in the break room.

The smoke alarms went off and Sid had to evacuate everyone from the building and check on the animals while Jake followed him around apologizing constantly.

“Please don’t fire me,” Jake had said and Sid frowned and handed him the leashes of two rambunctious Pitt bulls that were a little too close to the smoke.

“You’re a volunteer. I can’t fire you.”

That only seemed to panic Jake more and by the time the fire department rolled into the parking lot he looked both pale _and_ green.

Geno was the first one out of the truck and the only one Sid could focus on.

He was in full gear and crossed the parking lot to him like it didn’t weigh a thing. He took his helmet off when he got close and tucked it under his arm.

“Am Geno,” he said as he stuck one large hand out to shake. “You in charge,” he asked.

“Yes, I’m so sorry. It was an accident.”

“Know what happened?”

“Microwave popcorn,” he said and behind them Jake dropped his head into his hands and groaned. “The alarm company automatically calls you guys whenever it goes off. I’m so sorry you had to come all the way out here.”

“Is fine, no worries. Everyone okay? Everyone out?”

Sid did a head count before the fire department showed up. All the employees, volunteers, and visitors were accounted for.

“Animals okay?”

Sid nodded. “All the ones that were close to the smoke I brought out here. Everyone else is fine.”

On cue, Finn, the four year old boxer that he had been holding pushed his way forward and jumped up on Geno.

“Sorry,” Sid said immediately as he tugged him down. “We’re still working on that. It’s a bad habit.”

“Is okay,” Geno had said with a smile. He bent down on one knee so Finn didn’t have to jump up to say hello. “Love animals.” He squinted up into the sunlight at Sid. “Dogs are the best. So beautiful,” he cooed at Finn who immediately rolled over for belly rubs. Geno was happy to oblige and Sid, who was only human after all, was pretty sure he was in love.

“Just going to air the place out,” Geno said, “make sure everything okay and you can go back in, sounds good?”

“Yes, thank you. Again, I’m really sorry about this.”

“Is okay, again,” Geno said with a lopsided grin that made Sid duck his head and will heat that was flooding his face to recede.

“Popcorn’s done,” one of the other firefighters called from across the parking lot.” He was holding the charred back in his gloved hands.

The firefighter, _Tanger,_ Sid would later come to find out, crossed the parking lot and said to Geno, “Oh, I see how it is. We risk our lives while you stay out here and-.”

He was abruptly cut off when Geno cuffed an arm around his neck and pulled him in for a playful headlock. “Risk life for burnt popcorn.”

“You didn’t know that,” Tanger wheezed out then fought his way out of Geno’s grip. “C’mon, G, more work to do.” He turned to Sid and added, “We’ll have the building clear in about ten minutes for you and we’ll be out of your hair but I’m sure we’ll be seeing more from you. Or at least hearing about you.”

Geno shoved him, hard, and shot back an apologetic smile before following him back into the shelter.

 

They met again a few months later during a charity coat drive at a local high school.

Sid had set up a table to collect old towels and blankets to use in the kennels and was caught off guard when Geno stepped up beside him.

“Fire department help organize so I’m helping out,” he explained as he picked up a beach towel that needed to be folded.

“Think it would be hard for me,” Geno said a while later, “get so attached, not want to say goodbye to any of the dogs.”

“It can be like that. You bond with certain dogs but I know they’re going to good homes and for every dog that gets rescued that frees up space for us to take in another. One that might not be so lucky somewhere else,” he said quietly.

The shelter is no-kill and Sid’s not ashamed to admit that he’s too soft hearted to work anywhere else. “Maybe I would just take all the dogs home then.”

Sid had laughed and pulled out his phone. “That’s how I got my three,” he said then proudly showed off the photos of Lucy, Mickey, and Pepper, his three rescue mutts. Geno, in turn, pulled out his own phone and showed Sid pictures of Jeffrey, his horse sized dog he had to leave back in Russia with his parents.

“Miss a lot,” he said, “would love to get another but always working.”

“You should stop by the shelter sometime. We’re always looking for people to help walk the dogs and play with them. It would kind of be like having your own.”

“Can really do that?”

“Of course. I’m pretty much there all the time so whenever you’re free…”

“Would love to,” Geno said with a smile.

He didn’t really expect Geno to show up the next day but there he was looking just a little bit tired after coming off a long shift but eager to see the dogs.

Sid kept a careful eye on him that first day because, A-Geno was new and he did that with all the new people (those dogs were like his children) and B-Geno was nice to look at (something he still hasn’t openly admitted to anyone).

But Geno was a natural at getting even the shyest dogs to come out of their shells and when the proposal of a charity calendar made its way to Sid’s desk there was really only one option….

 

“Ruby,” Geno says to the seven year old golden retriever that’s thumping her tail against the side of the crate. “What are you still doing here?”

Geno’s always surprised to see her at the shelter whenever he stops by.

Ruby was surrendered a year ago when her previous owners had a baby and decided they couldn’t keep her. She’s the sweetest girl with plenty of good years left in her but people see the white around her muzzle and get put off.

The way it angers Sid (who sees this kind of thing far too often) is nothing compared to the way it angers Geno. Everytime he sees her in the kennel he gives Sid the same pinched look (the same one he’s giving him now) and says “can’t believe people are so stupid. Best dog here.”

“I know, I know,” Sid says back as he hands him Ruby’s leash. “You’re going to pose with her today so hopefully that’ll help.”

“Of course it’ll help,” Geno says as he opens the crate and clips the leash to her harness. “Everyone always looks at me first. Know I’m the best one, don’t care what Tanger says.”

On cue Tanger steps up to the back of the van and rubs his hands together.

“Who do you have for me? Give me the cutest one.”

“You’re with Frank,” Sid answers as he coaxes Frank out of his crate. Frank is an eleven year old, slightly overweight (but they’re working on it) pug with only one eye. Sid hands him over and Tanger cradles him against his chest.

Frank is making snuffly excited sounds and Tanger looks up at Sid.

“I love him,” he says seriously then ambles off while the rest of the guys crowd around, eager to see their companion for the next few hours.

Sid directs half of them over to Jake’s van and starts matching up the rest.

Hornqvist, or Horny as the rest of the guys call him (which Sid never will because he can’t say _that_ to his face) gets handed two wiggly beagle-terrier mix puppies, so new to the shelter that they don’t have names yet and so cute that Sid has no doubts they’ll be adopted within the next few days.

Hags gets a yellow lab mix named Winnie and Bryan gets Honey, a hound that twists the leash around Bryan’s legs until he can’t move.

Jamie gets Maestro, a pug and chihuahua mix because Sid thinks it’ll be funny to see someone so big holding a dog that’s so small while Phil gets a Campbell, an eight month old shepherd that has more energy than Phil knows what to do with.

Sid holds Thor's leash out to Dumo who gleefully takes it and parades the Great Dane in front of Jamie who has tiny Maestro tucked into the crook of his arm.

Sid laughs then looks across the parking lot at Geno and Ruby sitting on the curb.

Ruby is sitting between his knees and he has his hands on the side of her face. He’s saying something to her with a contemplative look on his face. She’s still wagging her tail, completely enamored in him.

Sid knows how she feels.

He looks away when the photographer pulls into the lot and parks beside him.

She gets out of the car smiling and grabs her camera bag off the back seat. “You ready to do this?”

When Sid looks back Ruby is laying across his feet and Geno’s leaning back against the grass on his elbows, face tipped up towards the sun.

 

All of the guys do something special with their dog.

Brian takes Honey up into the truck with him and Phil plays tug of war with Campbell using a length of old fire hose.

Jamie puts Maestro in his helmet and Hornqvist ends up shirtless as he leans against the ladder truck with the puppies wrestling at his feet.

Neither Sid or the photographer asked him to do it but he seems in his element and blissfully ignores the catcalls he gets from his coworkers.

The photographer’s camera clicks in rapid succession as Hornqvist bends down and picks them up. They squirm and lick at his face and he laughs and says “this is how you sell calendars, boys. It’s for a good cause.”

“Every damn year, man,” Tanger yells back. He’s holding Frank like a baby and Frank _loves_ it.

Geno puts more clothes on for his photos but still manages to make Sid’s breath catch in his throat and make his palms sweat.

Geno is in his turnout gear, jacket open and suspenders over his shoulders. He’s sitting down on the bench in front of his stall, everyone else’s gear lined up behind him, and he’s pulling on his boot. Ruby sits beside him with the other boot in front of her like she’s waiting for him to be ready so she can pass it over to him.

Geno laughs when she actually tries to pick it up and ruffles the fur around her neck.

“Good girl,” he says softly and Sid’s heart beats double time.

He’s seen Geno dressed in full gear and he’s seen him being very sweet with dogs at the shelter but he hasn’t seen both at the same time.

“That’s great,” the photographer says, “do you want to see them?”

Geno nods and claps his hand against his thigh so Ruby will follow. He presses in close next to Sid so they can both see the screen on the camera.

“Ruby looks so good,” Geno says and Sid huffs.

“Do you really think anyone is going to be looking at her,” he answers quietly and out of the corner of his eye he sees Geno look away from the screen and directly at him.

“Sid,” he says, “have to talk to you about something.”

The photographer stops clicking through the photos and lowers the camera. “I’m going to go check on the other guys,” she says slowly then gives Sid a significant look before she hurries out of the room.

Geno touches Sid’s sleeve to get him to look up. “Was thinking,” he starts, “I should adopt Ruby.”

Sid blinks at him. He’s not sure what he was expecting but it wasn’t that.

“Know I always say I’m too busy and is true but I think maybe I could bring her here while I’m working. Even when we get a call there’s always someone here. Never alone. Look how happy she is.”

Sid looks down. Ruby is smiling up at them, tongue lolled out the side of her mouth.

“Break my heart if she goes back to a kennel. Will get her a big bed for her here and at home and she can meet all the kids that come here for field trips. I think she’d really like.” He tugs at Sid’s sleep again. “Would make a really good owner.”

“I know you would,” Sid says. “You’d be great.”

“Feel so bad I didn’t do something sooner but is a big deal, you know? But I can do it. Promise.”

“I know you can and I think it’s a great idea. She obviously loves you and I bet she’d have a lot of fun here.” Sid leans down to pet Ruby’s head. Geno moves his hand from Sid’s sleeve to his wrist and Sid looks up with a start. Geno’s moved so much closer to him.

“Was also thinking that maybe Ruby could get together with Lucy, Mickey, and Pepper.”

“You want our dogs to have a playdate?”

“Maybe they have playdate.” Geno wraps his hand around Sid’s. “Maybe then we have real date.”

Sid squeezes his hand. “Really?”

Geno nods. “Could go for coffee or dinner. Go see a movie. Anything you want. _If_ you want.”

“Yes,” Sid says. “I’ve wanted for a long time.”

“Would have asked you sooner but it’s a big deal,” he says, echoing his words from earlier with a shy smile. “Want to make sure about this.”

“I’m sure,” Sid says and he doesn’t even care how quickly he says it or how desperate his voice sounds. All he cares about is Geno’s warm hand in his own and the smile that’s spreading across his face.

“Good,” Geno says as he puts his free hand on the side of Sid’s face. He tips Sid’s chin up and kisses him, sweet and soft.

Ruby is pressed between them, her tail wagging back against their legs.

When Geno pulls back he drops a hand to the top of her head.

“Very happy,” he says and Sid’s sure he’s talking about all three of them.

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is [ here.](https://secret-sidgeno-writer.tumblr.com/)


End file.
